Fate Shallow Ember
by MongoStomp910
Summary: Through an unknown event, Shirou, Rin, and Arturia are reborn in Konoha. Trying to piece together their predicament, the 3 strive to reunite and are faced with conflict among every turn. Should they try to return to their own world? How will they shape the one they're in?
1. Awakening:Prelude

**AN: I don't really plan on including very man notes in the future but I decided to give a brief description on my idea of this story. I got the idea reading "A Seventh Path: Path of Swords" by **_**A Dyslexic Writer**_ **on ** ** where, due to a failed experiment, Rin and Shirou are reincarnated into the narutoverse. I thought the author did a good job depicting the personalities of the two, but especially Rin. Her being the Hyuuga heiress and Hinata's older sister was good idea but I thought that Shirou's family's background was kind of boring. **

**So I asked myself, what about an Uchiha? I tried to see if I could translate Shirou's abilities into what the clan is know for and, without spoiling anything, I found several ways to make it work. I've been reading a bunch of fics online lately and tossed around the idea of doing one myself, I just never had the motivation until now. **

**Just a warning beforehand, I don't claim to be an expert on either franchise but I'll try to keep it as honest to both as possible. The timeline in the nasuverse, for those wondering, is UBW Good End. **

**All rights to Naruto and Fate characters and settings go their respective creators.**

The existence once known as Shirou Emiya was in a state of shock. How did he get here? Where exactly was 'here'? Oh, he knew _where_ he was. He also knew that 'here' didn't exist in his world. He began to wonder if this was all some ploy to alleviate that damn vampire's boredom but quickly threw that notion away. Zelretch may have had the ability to put him here but he couldn't have given him a new body.

Six years ago, Fugaku Uchiha and his wife, Mikoto, announced the arrival of their third child, named Shirou for his unnaturally white hair. During those six years, Shirou Uchiha lived the life you'd expect of a child of a clan head with no knowledge of his prior history. His kind heart and warm smile proved infectious to those around him. His many fights with bullies sent him home with a fair share of injuries, though not as many as he could have. Sasuke, his older brother by a year, always had his back with pure loyalty only found in a brother. Shirou's tenacity, his will to protect, and sheer stubbornness had dissuaded his parents from further lectures long ago, seeing that they could do nothing to stop him, Fugaku instead opting to spend more attention to the training of his sons. If he could not stop them from getting into fights, he would just have to make sure they could defend themselves. His oldest brother, Itachi, was caring and, as often as his Shinobi career would allow, aided in their training.

So Shirou lived the early years of his childhood in ignorance. Until today. Mikoto had brought Shirou and Sasuke along for a trip to the market when her youngest had suddenly stopped dead an his tracks with such abruptness that Sasuke had walked right into him.

"Watch what you're doing—Shirou?"

The pure look of terror on his face did not go unnoticed by Sasuke. Almost two decades of information—history, experience, joys, sorrows, and love—had flooded into him all once, the trigger unknown. Everything that was once 'Shirou Emiya' was now whole once again inside Shirou Uchiha. Almost everything. He could not remember how he died. Or, at least, he assumed he died. Shirou had no problems with the idea of dying, he'd give his life in a heartbeat if it would save someone else's. No, the fear that chilled his bones was due to the last thing he _could_ remember before his rebirth. He had been with Rin and Arturia.

Did they die too? He couldn't stand the idea of those two being anything other than perfectly safe. His fear turning into frustration at himself for not knowing their fate. That frustration turning to helplessness as his head began to send sharp pains to every nerve in his body.

"Shirou!"

"Shirou-kun!"

His brother and mother's calls fell on deaf ears as the strain of an entires life's worth of memories being uploaded into the brain of a six year old finally took its toll as Shirou collapsed.

—

Rin was not having a good day. She had come to terms with the fact that she had been reborn into some 'barbaric village,' as she called it, a couple years prior. The second child of Hiashi Hyuuga had an agreeable lifestyle, if she said so herself. It was only suitable for someone of her stature to be reborn into nobility. When she had first regained her memories, it had taken her a day or so to acclimate but she didn't let it hinder her.

She had immediately began reading anything and everything she could get her hands on, trying to gain as much information of her new setting as possible. There were several theories on space-time jutsu that she had found but nothing concrete.

_I'll just have to make my own then,_ she had thought, so she asked her new 'father' to start her training as soon as possible. Hiashi, of course, agreed, happy she was taking a greater interest in her shinobi career than her older sister, Hinata. Though the eventual ramifications this would have on Hinata worried him. Rin's obsession on space-time jutsu was oriented towards a single goal: getting back to her world. She wasn't sure what or who had sent her here but she had no idea of Shirou and Saber's whereabouts and it worried her.

Her bad day had started off by getting woken up early by Hinata. The ensuing blind rage was enough to send the shy and stuttering Hinata running with her face pale as a ghost. Her bad luck had only continued throughout the day as misfortune seemed to stalk the six year old Hyuuga princess. After lunch, she had locked herself in her room and immersed herself in her books. Her poor demeanor had drastically improved as she stumbled upon a breakthrough. Only to fall once again as the theory she was reading was centered on the _Sharingan_ instead of her own clan's _Byakugan_.

Her concentration was interrupted by various people talking loudly throughout the clan compound. Her anger growing as her patience wore thin, she barged out of her room to see what was so important as to intrude upon her silence. Stepping out onto the grounds, she grabbed the attention of the nearest passerby.

"What has everyone so worked up that they don't understand the concept of 'peace and quiet'?" she asked with her most threatening fake smile.

The man, a member of the branch family and one of her attendants if she remembered correctly, winced at the terrifying aura this child could emit with such angelic expression before answering.

"My lady, the youngest child of the Uchiha Clan head has apparently fallen ill."

"So? He's an Uchiha, right? The well-being of an individual from our rival clan should not merit this response."

"Ah, I see your point, my lady, but Shirou Uchiha has helped several of the children—"

"What did you just say?" Rin interrupted, the fake smile wiped from her face immediately, replaced by one of deadly seriousness. "Please explain in as much detail as possible what you know of this person."

The abrupt change in attitude did not go unnoticed by the branch member as he nervously told her everything he knew.

—

Arturia was an orphan. As an orphan, she had been assigned to stay at an orphanage but she rarely ever found herself there, instead spending her time training as often as possible. As she was a unique heroic spirit before her reincarnation, she, unlike Rin and Shirou, had retained the memories of her past life quite seamlessly. Like the other two, she had no idea of their status and worried for them constantly. She knew not how find them or even what she could do in the meantime so she threw herself into training, getting stronger the only solution she could think of. Even now, she was in a clearing, swinging a piece of timber around, practicing her "Kenjutsu" as they called it in this new world.

"Eh, why are you always out here, Art? Not like swinging that thing around is gonna do you any good, ya know?"

Arturia paused to look at the speaker. Naruto Uzumaki was brash, loud, and hyperactive but Arturia had to admire his perseverance. It was the reason she befriended him, even though she could not convince the blond that she was a girl. Every time she would try to convince him, he would laugh it off as a joke. It was ironic really. In her youth, circumstances had forced her to abandon her identity as a woman for the sake of her country. Then she met Shirou, and for the first time, she had allowed herself to succumb to her own wishes and wants. And now that she was so open with her own identity, people were reluctant to believe it.

"Because nothing is gained from sitting idle," was her curt reply.

"Well, academy starts in two weeks, and we're gonna show 'em what we're made of! Believe it!"

Arturia allowed herself a smile at this. War tactics in this world were vastly different from those of her own. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't as excited as her friend. Perhaps the shinobi school would bring her answers to the numerous questions.


	2. Return:Smile

To say Itachi was worried would be an understatement. When he had arrived back at the village gates, he was greeted immediately by a concerned Shisui.

"What happened?"

"It's Shirou. He's in the hospital. The doctors can't identify the problem, only that his brain seems to have undergone a great deal of stress all at once. He's asleep right now but is expected to regain consciousness in a day or so."

Itachi grimaced. Without a reply, he began making his way towards where his little brother was being kept, Shisui following behind quietly though with a slight aloofness to his steps. In Itachi's eyes, Shirou was a rarity. His ideals eclipsed his own and his resolve was unshakable. When Shirou was four, Itachi explained to Sasuke and Shirou the importance of the Will of Fire. Sasuke's reaction was normal but Shirou's eyes lit up with resounding inspiration. He then claimed loudly that he would protect everyone. Itachi merely flicked him on the forehead with a smile and agreed that Konoha was worth protecting but Shirou shook his head and reiterated that his goal was to protect _everyone _not just Konoha. Sasuke immediately stated that he would protect his little brother on his path. Sasuke had taken very well to being a big brother.

Itachi had made sure to pay attention to their training after that day. Sasuke was well beyond most people his age though not as skilled as he had been at the same age. Shirou, on the other hand, was more difficult to explain. He showed no skill in ninjutsu despite having monstrous chakra reserves, but was near prodigal in other areas. His taijutsu at first glance looked full of openings but when his opponents would try to take advantage, they found themselves swiftly defeated. His knowledge of bladed weaponry astounded everyone. Put any weapon in his hand and he would instantly have an acute understanding of how to use it. When asked how he performed such feats, Shirou just shrugged and said he didn't know. It was almost scary if Itachi was being honest.

As the two rounded the corner and approached the hospital, a shrill voice entered their ears and broke Itachi's thoughts. Walking through the double doors to the building they quickly discovered the source.

"What do you _mean_ I'm not allowed to see him? I demand to see Shirou right now!"

At the reception desk, a short girl with white eyes and black hair fashioned in pigtails was standing with her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Lady Hyuuga, I apologize, but only family and close friends are allowed in at the moment and I'm afraid—"

"Then there's no problem."

The small Hyuuga had apparently lost her patience and stormed past the receptionist before being stopped by Itachi lightly grabbing her shoulder. With speed beyond her years, she quickly activated her byakugan and whipped her whole body around to face him, hands on her hips.

"Don't you dare to lay a hand on me!"

"I'm sorry to have offended you, but what business do you have with my little brother?" Itachi asked, impressed at the girls reflexes.

The girl eyed Itachi before giving him a look of approval.

"You're Shirou's brother?" Itachi nodded and the girls demeanor quickly changed into an adorable smile and with a slight bow she continued. "My name is Rin Hyuuga, second daughter of the Hyuuga Clan's main branch. I heard of Shirou's circumstances and came to check on him but my efforts have been impeded by that inconsequential _man_ over there." She gave the receptionist another mirthful sneer when she said the word.

_She's quite prideful for her age,_ Itachi thought. _Or arrogant._

"And how do you know of Shirou?" Itachi asked, his polite attitude never faltering. "I believe I would be aware if my little brother had befriended a Hyuuga, especially one of your background."

Rin grimaced at Itachi and Shisui, silent up until now, couldn't hide his amusement anymore and burst out laughing. The stark contrast between this little girls adorable appearance and her own personality was ridiculous and, to Shisui, hilarious.

"Ah lets just bring her with us, Itachi," He finally said. "We were going anyway and this girl obviously has crush on little Shirou~"

"I just pity him!" Rin barked before turning her head and crossing her arms. "Passing out on the streets in broad daylight. He should feel grateful that I decided to lower myself to his level and check on him."

Shisui said nothing but snickered and looked at Itachi, whose face was blank, though he swear he saw Itachi's lip twitch.

"Very well," Itachi finally said before turning toward Rin. "I never introduced myself earlier. I am Itachi Uchiha, Shirou's oldest brother, and this is Shisui Uchiha. Would you be agreeable to accompanying us to see my little brother?"

Rin thought for a moment with a stern face before nodding.

—

Rin wasn't sure what to think of the two Uchiha that she was currently walking through the hospital hall with. The only certainty were that both were incredibly strong. Other than that, the two, on the surface at least, had nothing in common. The younger one, Itachi, had pointed out a flaw in her story and she honestly didn't have an explanation at the ready for him. Thankfully the older, _dumber_ one offered to let her accompany them to see Shirou.

Shirou. He was here. The information told to her by the branch member had left no doubt. He described a white haired boy who fought bullies and performed random acts of kindness throughout the village. She wasn't sure if she would hug him or punch him when he woke up. Definitely punch him.

Finally they arrived at Shirou's temporary residence and despite her aggressive tendencies, she couldn't help but hold her breath in anticipation as they walked in.

_Is he awake yet?_ she thought. _What if he doesn't remember anything? No, I have no doubt this episode was due to his memories returning. It's too similar to what happened to me and nothing else would explain it. _

Finally, she stepped through the threshold and released her breath. There he was. The same stupid face of the the stupid boy who had stolen her heart on his way to helping her win the Fifth Grail war, though much younger and his hair was bright white. He was still unconscious due to the mental strain but somehow he still managed to smile.

Rin had at first thought this to be cute but then frowned. _You had better not be remembering anything shameful, Shirou..._ behind her the two elder Uchiha shivered.

**AN: Not sure how i feel about this chapter. **


	3. Fragments:Align

**AN: Thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews so far. In response to the chapter length, for now, it's intentional. At the moment, I'm just trying to set up the story. After the first couple chapters, I promise they'll get considerably longer. I just want to make you all aware of one thing: this story is not about team 7; Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. It's about Shirou, Rin, and Arturia. Naruto characters will have a big role in the story but I made these three a year younger than Team 7 so that I could ignore certain events in Naruto canon without making it to where they don't happen. I don't feel the need to rehash every event when we all know what happens, or throw these characters into events just for the sole purpose of getting them involved. They will have a role in many notable events but only for the sake of progressing **_**their**_ **story. **

**For instance, since they are a year younger, they'll technically still be in the Academy during the Chunin exam arc. Part of my goal in this is so that I can get to the time skip without having to rewrite some things we've all read a million iterations of at this point. That said, I'll still try to make the next few chapters longer. Try.**

The streets of Konoha were busy already in the morning, the sun just barely having crept over the Hokage Monument. Merchants were busy trying to move product and shinobi of varying rank could be seen running among the rooftops, out to accomplish whatever mission it is they had been given. People filled the streets with a wide variety of excitement. It seemed every marketplace was in for a profit on this morning.

The only apparent exception to this was Ichiraku Ramen, normally one of the more popular food stands in the village, now only playing host to two individuals. Naruto had dragged Arturia here in a tired stupor as soon as they opened, shouting obnoxiously about how great the ramen is. Admittedly, she enjoyed the food and had eaten her fill and more. Now she was lost in deep thought as Naruto continued to eat more than what she considered possible, and she was quite the eater herself.

She noticed quickly after meeting Naruto the treatment he received from the other villagers. She assumed it had to do with the monstrous entity sealed away in the boy. Ever since her rebirth, her senses had been dialed to 11 and she could sense the natural energy around her subconsciously as if it was attracted to her. It was as if nature itself gave her fuel when she needed it most. That said, she couldn't understand why the villagers had deigned to make him a pariah. Fear of that power, maybe, but anyone who exchanged a couple words with him could tell he was harmless. He's more likely to talk you to death than deal any real harm.

Her thoughts continued along this line until she noticed someone hiding behind a tree several meters away. She silently stood up and turned towards the spy, Naruto pausing momentarily to take notice of his friend's actions before shrugging and continuing to gorge himself.

"Step out now," she stated firmly. "I know you're there."

"Erk-!"

Slowly, a figure stepped out from behind the tree. She was of small stature, similar to Arturia herself, with black hair styled short and white eyes. Other than her shy complexion, Arturia didn't find any other notable traits of the girl.

"Oh, hey, Hinata!" Naruto, finally taking notice, called out to the girl enthusiastically. "Did you come to eat too? Come on, I'm buying! Old Man Hokage just gave me my allowance."

Hinata's face turned even redder but her eyes fell on Arturia, and instead of running away as she normally would, her expression turned to that of fragile resolve. She shyly nodded before slowly walking up to the counter and taking a seat.

"You know this girl?"Arturia asked, warily. Her obliviousness to social situations still evident from her past lives until now.

"Yeah! Hinata's in the same class as me, ya know?" Naruto beamed and slapped Arturia on the back. "This is Art, he's a friend from the orphanage."

Arturia's eye twitched and Hinata looked at her with a puzzled expression before Arturia turned to her and bowed politely.

"I am Arturia, no last name," she spoke in a formal manner. "Its very nice to meet you."

"H-Hinata Hyuuga, n-nice to meet you as well," Hinata sputtered out her introduction. "Um... i-if you don't m-mind me asking.."

Arturia raised an eyebrow before nodding for her to continue.

"Why d-did Naruto-kun c-call you a 'he'?"

"Eh? 'Cuz he's a guy?" If Hinata looked perplexed, then Naruto looked absolutely puzzled. Arturia, on the other hand, was beginning to show her frustration.

"As I've told you several times before, Naruto," she finally said. "I'm. A. Girl!"

You could almost hear the gears turning in Naruto's head before he gave a surprised shriek and literally fell off his stool.

"YOU MEAN THIS WHOLE TIME, YOU'VE BEEN A GIRL!? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!"

"I have tried to convince you repeatedly in the past."

Hinata broke out in a fit of giggles at the sight, the change in character causing the other two to pause.

"So, Arturia-chan," Hinata finally said. "Are you enrolled in the Academy yet?"

"I begin my training in two weeks," Arturia answered.

"Ah, my little sister will be in the same class as you," Hinata smiled, more comfortable around the blonde-haired tomboy now that she was aware of Naruto's misconceptions. She at first had worried that Naruto might like the girl but those worries disappeared quickly.

Truth be told, from Hinata's perspective, she could see how one might mistake Arturia for a boy at first glance but up close the girl had a sort of regal beauty to her. With short blond hair braided into a bun and piercing green eyes, the girl seemed more aware of things than most her age. She reminded Hinata of her sister in that way, though this girl was easier to be around.

"Is that so?" Arturia mused. "Then perhaps we shall be comrades-in-arms in the future then. What is your sister's name? I will greet her properly if we are to meet."

—

Sasuke wasn't sure if he was more worried or angry. His brother had yet to regain consciousness and although the doctors stated that he should be fine with rest, he refused to leave once his mother had finally allowed him a visit, especially when he met his brother's other 'visitor.' Imagine his surprise when he entered the hospital room to find a young Hyuuga girl at his bedside. A girl he was sure that Shirou had never met before.

He found the girl infuriating. She refused to leave and wouldn't answer any of Sasuke's questions; dismissing both the inquiries and Sasuke himself with a wave of her hand.

So now, after several hours and plenty of choice words thrown at one another, the two had non-verbally issued a stalemate and positioned themselves in a seat on either side of Shirou's bed where he slept, an uncomfortable silence between them. Tension so thick in the room, it was almost palpable.

Finally, the silence was broken by the door to the room opening and Mikoto and Itachi entering. Sasuke quickly got up to greet them.

"Mother, Itachi-nii, where is father?" Sasuke swore he saw his older brother hide a scowl before his expression became more jovial.

"Father has decided to stay at the compound to attend the clan meeting," Itachi replied, greeting Sasuke with his signature forehead flick before turning to Rin. "I see you are still here. Have you left at all since coming here?"

Rins expression became softer, though without losing its seriousness, as she acknowledged the eldest brother.

"I haven't," she said curtly. "I didn't want to risk not being here when he woke up."

"What care for my son you show, Miss Rin," Mikoto gave a warm-hearted smile to the little girl before continuing. "I'm Mikoto Uchiha, Shirou's Mother. When Itachi told me of your determination, I had to come meet you myself. I can see he wasn't exaggerating. How is it that you met my son?"

"He's helped me out a great deal in the past," Rin's reply was almost robotic though the smile on her face was genuine. "Though we haven't met since then, when I heard of his condition, I wanted to return the kindness he showed me."

"Oh? And what was that about lowering yourself to check on him and how grateful he should be?" Itachi was not without his suspicions but he couldn't hide his amusement at the girl's reaction.

"And as well he should be. Hmmph," Rin replied as if stating a well known fact. The only thing holding back Mikoto's anger at the girl's apparent insult directed at her youngest was the redness on Rin's cheeks that revealed all too much in Mikoto's eyes.

She was about to respond when the sound of someone stirring caused the four to freeze. Shirou began to move, slowly at first, then with increasing fluidity in his movements, he sat up and began rubbing his eyes. Rin, Sasuke, Itachi, and Mikoto released the breath they didn't know they were holding as Shirou opened, now fully awake, inspected his surroundings. He acknowledged his brothers' and his mother's presence before his gaze landed on Rin and he froze momentarily before his eyes gained a warmth in them that his family had never seen from the boy before.

"Hey, Rin, long time no see," Shirou was beaming from ear to ear.

Rin's face was hidden and her shoulders were shaking. Mikoto felt touched that her son had found a friend who cared for him so deeply. This feeling didn't last as Rin finally responded by walking up and promptly hitting Shirou hard on the head.

"Ow! What was that for!?" Shirou exclaimed, rubbing the top of his head so as to ease the pain.

"After all this time, _that's_ what you have to say to me!"

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nicer to me," he grumbled his response, still nursing his still sore head.

"I was just making sure you were really awake that's all."

"Why does it feel like I'm being punished..."

**Remember to review and let me know what I'm doing wrong.**


	4. Reunion:Forward

If there was a a point in time where Naruto was more confused then he was at this moment, he couldn't remember it. One moment, he's eating delicious ramen, the next he's getting dragged across the Hyuuga compound, literally at times, on a search for Hinata's sister. After Hinata mentioned her little sister, Art—er, 'Arturia' as he now knew her—had demanded that she take her to her right then. Why Naruto had to come along, he was sure he didn't know. Regardless, once they arrived at Hinata's place—a very clean, old fashioned style home— they were told by Hinata's father that his middle child wasn't there.

Arturia was not swayed and, like a general in an army, she ordered both Naruto and Hinata to spread out and find her. Naruto and Hinata, like obedient soldiers, both nodded and began asking around. Hinata because the sense of urgency in Arturia's voice worried her. Naruto because he was afraid of what she'd do to him if he refused. She had persuaded him to join her in a sparring match a couple times with wooden sticks for swords. He limped away every time covered in whelps and bruises. A fact that was only more humiliating in his mind now that the he knew he was beat by a girl.

_Kiba and Sasuke can never know, _he thought grimly. Frankly, it was still hard for _him_ to believe.

He was currently headed back to the compound's entrance to meet up with the other two, hoping they had found out something. He sure hadn't. Not that he didn't try, it was just that every time he would attempt to ask someone, he was either chased off or ignored completely; as if he wasn't even there. Hell, if it weren't for the frowns on everyone's faces, he might have believed he was invisible. As he strode up to their designated meeting spot, he noticed Arturia was already there, Hinata still absent. Arturia spotted him and marched up to the blonde.

"What did you learn?" She asked, as if the answer to her question were a life or death matter and not just wild goose chase.

"Ah—er..." Naruto, though he didn't know why this girl was so important to her, was reluctant to deliver the bad news. He didn't have a lot of friends and so he was reluctant to let one of them down. "Nothing. Sorry."

Arturia gave a frustrated grunt in response and Naruto laughed nervously when, behind Arturia, he saw Hinata running toward them. Arturia followed his gaze and her steps lightened with new fervor as she turned to meet her new friend. Hinata stopped a few feet in front of her and bet over to catch her breath. Despite her impatience, Arturia made no move to rush Hinata. Instead allowing her the time needed to recuperate. After confirming that Hinata was okay, she asked what she had learned.

"Rin-chan has been in the hospital since this morning," Hinata finally breathed out but before she could elaborate, she felt two hands on her shoulders, startling her.

"What happened?" Arturia's voice was deadly calm.

"S-she's n-not hurt," she sputtered. "Apparently, her f-f-friend Sh-Shirou collapsed and—"

She didn't get to finish as Arturia had already stormed off in the direction of Konoha's medical facility with even more purpose than before, leaving her confused and alone with Naruto.

"Man, what's gotten into her, ya know?" Naruto strolled over resting his hand behind his head.

_Oh. I'm alone.. with Naruto,_ she realized, face steaming.

"Oi! Hinata! You sick or something?"

Hinata was broken from her stupor when a hand touched her forehead.

"You do feel a bit warm.."

She promptly fainted, leaving behind a very frantic Naruto.

—

"—in the middle of the street! What were you thinking! Honestly! You have no pride, Shirou."

"Haa, sorry, Rin. I didn't mean to worry you."

The reaction of those witnessing this situation were varied. Sasuke was shocked to silence. The nerve of this girl had gradually wore away at every nerve he had in the short time they had been in the same room and his anger at her words was matched only by the anger aimed at his brother for not even trying to defend himself. The annoying girl's accusations were absurd. Yet Shirou made no attempt to refute in anything she said and actually _apologized_. So Sasuke remained silent, conflicted.

Mikoto, on the other hand, was not even bothering to hide her amusement. The two children bickered like an old married couple yet they were both of them barely four feet tall. The funny sight playing out before her aside, she took notice of the genuine friendship and care that the young Hyuuga held for her son that was barely masked; as if the act she put on to hide it was only maintained for continuity's sake. On top of that, Mikoto was an Uchiha and wife to the clan head, but she was also a mother. That part of her made her look past clan views between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. She knew the two continue too look out for each other.

Itachi had finally reached a verdict on Rin Hyuuga. He still a few lingering suspicions on their association but at the very least, from what he could see now, he knew she had no ill intentions. Her worry was evident, thinly veiled behind an arrogant mask. He was surprised, and further relieved of his worries when she turned to the three of them—Sasuke, their mother, and himself— and bowed.

"I know this may seem very strange to you," she said. "Shirou and I met a couples years ago and, us being the children of the respective heads of our clans and those clans being rivals, decided to keep our friendship a secret so that we wouldn't be separated. I'm sorry I didn't explain sooner."

She kept her head bowed in respect, waiting for a response. She didn't have to wait long as her answer came in the form of laughter. Specifically, Itachi's.

"Rin Hyuuga," He said after calming himself, his smile still remained. "Be a good friend to my little brother."

"Hmm. Let's let these two talk," Mikoto said. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Rin. Please take care of my son. Let's go, Sasuke."

"But—!" Sasuke exclaimed. "I still don't trust her."

"Come along, Sasuke," Itachi spoke gently. "I'll help you with your shuriken techniques."

That seemed to placate Sasuke's anger for the time being and his mood momentarily lightened. As they exited the room, Sasuke turned back once more to see Rin sticking out her tongue at him before the door closed. His hatred for that devilish girl just solidified.

—

"Did you really have to taunt him? You were doing so good, too..."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She glared at him through half-closed eyes, her face in an exaggerated pout as she sat on the foot of his hospital bed swinging her feet. "Never mind. That's not important. Now, what do you remember?"

"Everything but the last bit, basically," his reply was grim. "The three of us left London for some reason. When I try to remember why, my head starts to hurt and the information seems... incomplete? It's like watching an old movie on damaged film. There are parts missing and what's there is warped too much to make any sense."

"An apt description as any, I suppose," she sighed. "Same as me then. Do you know what happened to Saber?"

"I haven't seen her but if the two of us are here, it's not too far-fetched to think she could be, too," Shirou put a hand to his chin in thought.

A gentle knock on the door interrupted his inner debate and he gave Rin a questioning look.

"I hope you don't expect me to answer that?" She looked at him playfully.

"No, I got it," he sighed as he stood up, stretching his legs with each step. When he opened the door he was greeted by a familiar set of green eyes. Rin walked up behind him and peered over his shoulder curiously before breaking out in a grin at the new arrival.

"Shirou, Rin," Arturia beamed back the two. "It does my heart good to see the two of you safe."

**AN: A couple things to say before we move forward. This will be the last 'short chapter.' Think of everything up to this point as the opening sequence, if this were a movie. That's why I've formatted the first four chapters the way I have. A way to introduce each character and their own situation, drop a few hints, and, essentially, give those characters the first step on the path ahead of them. This is also the end of the fast updates. Now that I've set my pieces up, my chapters are going to be longer and therefore take longer. Last bit of information is just clarifying this is based off of the UBW "good end" route. Those three are that pairing and every other pairing will be canon.**

**But enough bullshit. Here's Fate/Shallow Ember.**


	5. Genesis:Oroboros

Leaves blew through the crisp autumn air. Four faces stood prominent on the side of the mountain standing guard over the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Monuments to the four Hokage who protected it.

Shirou knew they were heroes.

Itachi's words to him and Sasuke about the Will of Fire those years rang through his ears even now as he rushed through the streets of Konoha. After five days in the hospital, days unnecessary in his own opinion, he had finally been released. During his time there, when he didn't have any visitors, the numbers of which grew gradually, to Shirou's pleasant surprise, he spent his time reviewing what he knew of this world and comparing them to his beliefs and memories to his time as Shirou Emiya. The conclusion that he reached encouraged him.

The reason was simple: To be a Hero of Justice. He saw the spirit of righteousness that people felt from the heroes of this village and he knew, in his heart, that meant that true peace could be reached if enough people fought for it. He also believed, in his heart, that enough people would. He strives to be one these heroes, maybe not Hokage—he knew he would be ill-suited to take on that task—but a shinobi like his brother, Itachi? That was the type of shinobi Shirou wanted to be. Someone kind and capable.

Shirou looked up to Itachi in the same way he idolized Kiritsugu. They had the same eyes; ones who have had to kill in order to save. Kiritsugu had mourned himself to death over his failures. Itachi has not fallen that far yet and he was determined not to let him get that way. He would save everyone so Itachi wouldn't have to. This resolve of his only deepened after he noticed the growing distress buried beneath his brother's caring mask during his visits to the hospital. Shirou wouldn't doubt it if no one noticed it but him, if he hadn't have had experience he wouldn't have, but he knew that something was eating away at his eldest brother but whatever it was, he knew Itachi would never say.

He wasn't so arrogant that he didn't know that his dream was still near-impossible. But he didn't give up on it in the past; why should he do so now? As far as he knew, the situation hadn't changed. Rin and Arturia were still there to help him. True, from what he gathered, there was no shortage of people with evil intentions and the ability to act on them in the Elemental Nations but... there were also people who held his own ideals right there in Konoha. To protect and to never give up. That was Konoha's Will of Fire. An entire village founded on principles he had adopted and though he knew the road ahead would still be rife with trials and difficulties, he held this knowledge to heart and it gave him a renewed sense of determination.

Sasuke had come to visit every time Itachi had and several times in between with Their mother in tow more often than not. Those time usually coincided with Rin and Arturia's visits, much to Sasuke's annoyance and Mikoto's elation. Rin wouldn't admit to it, but Shirou knew that she did it on purpose for every time they were in the same room, she would go above and beyond in her subtle-yet-successful way of angering the Uchiha family's middle child.

While he pitied Sasuke for incurring the wrath of Homurahara's 'Ice Princess' he also couldn't help but chuckle at the occurrence. After all, he cared for his other brother just as much as all of the other members of his new family. Sasuke tried to put on a tough facade, no doubt an attempt at emulating their father, but the real Sasuke was a happy boy who knew nothing but love, idolized their older brother, and showed a protective side towards Shirou not dissimilar to the one Itachi showed towards the both of them.

Speaking of Rin and Arturia, the two had visited him frequently, occasionally bringing a few stowaways such as Naruto, Arturia's loud friend she had met at the orphanage and Hinata, Rin's sister and a shy, kind girl who always seemed to act even more timid around Naruto. The four of them had last visited the day before, with a promise to Rin and Arturia to meet in training ground three after his release just moments before, thus his hurry as he wound his way through Konoha.

His thoughts were cut short as he stopped his frantic run and realized he had become terribly lost while distracted.

Somehow, he had ended up in a forest of some sort. It was calm and the sun shone through cracks in the branches, letting through bright rays that came down like pillars in the tranquil forest. Shirou paused for a second and took a deep breath as he took in the serene sight that was all around him. Exhaling, he decide to venture forwards in the direction he was headed in hope of at least discovering his own location.

Soon, he saw a break in the forest ahead, the thick foliage around him thinning, and he found himself in a small clearing. A small rock shrine sat in the middle of the clearing and a tall, lanky man with silver hair loomed over it; eerily still with a somber, yet hopeful expression on what you cold view of his concealed face. He wore an ANBU uniform and sported a sword on his back. The man hadn't seemed to notice Shirou's presence so Shirou walked up behind the man to view the shrine.

What was written on the small boulder were names. Ikkaku Umino, Obito Uchiha, the list went on. Shirou had never heard of his relative on the stone and could only wonder what the shrine was, so he began to look at it with renewed wonder.

"They're Shinobi who were listed as KIA..."

It took a full second for Shirou to realize the voice belonged to none other than the man beside him, finally breaking his rather dreary silence, and another yet to realize why this man was standing here with such expression. Shirou slowly turned his head to look at him but didn't say anything at first. After carefully choosing his words, he spoke.

"What was their name?"

"Hm?" The silver haired man eyed the boy curiously, not expecting him to respond so bluntly, if at all.

"The one you lost?" Shirou reiterated. "What was their name?"

The man deliberated for a second, still observing the young child before him.

"How old are you, boy?" He asked.

"Six."

The man, again, remained silent before finally looking away from the boy and back to the memorial.

"...Obito. Obito Uchiha. He was my teammate."

The name immediately drew interest from Shirou and he smiled warmly before walking up to memorial and placing his hands together as if praying. He bowed his head and spoke.

"Thank you for your sacrifice, cousin Obito," he began. "Those of us you leave behind will be sure to honor your memory so that can rest easy."

"What's your name, boy?"

"Shirou Uchiha, sir," sure enough, the Uchiha fan on the back of the boys red shirt stood as clear as day. The boy, now Shirou, held his hand out.

"Kakashi," the man said, remembering the name of Itachi's younger brother from the uproar following his medical episode a week prior. "What are you doing running around out here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Discharged with a clean bill of health this morning!" Shirou exclaimed, his smile only growing wider. "I was actually supposed to be meeting some friends in training ground three but... yeah. I kind of don't know how to get there at the moment."

Shirou chuckled and scratched his head in embarrassment and Kakashi could only laugh at the site. The boy, with short, spiky, snow-white hair and black eyes had a whimsical nature that belied the mature personality beneath.

Walking up and ruffling his hair, much to Shirou's surprise and chagrin, Kakashi said:

"You didn't miss your mark by much." He pointed in the direction to his left with a gloved thumb, "Just head through those trees about fifty meters or so and you'll reach another clearing. You shouldn't have any trouble finding it. Just hope your friends aren't too upset with you for running late."

Kakashi turned to leave and Shirou's smile dropped, "Ah, crap! Arturia will understand but Rin... Rin's going to be pissed."

"Just tell her you got lost on the the road to life."

"Will that really work?"

"It's what Obito always said."

With a finally wave goodbye as he walked away, Kakashi performed a shunshin and he was gone.

—

"Where is he! Ugh!"

Rin stomped her foot in the ground for added emphasis as she stood in the training area, tapping a finger across her crossed arms in her impatience. She wore a red shirt with the sleeves a bit long on her arms, going slightly past her hands, with black Capri shinobi pants with black sandals and, as usual, her hair tied in twin tails. In he previous life, she had stopped styling her hair this way after high school, letting her hair run freely to accent her self-proclaimed maturity. She had only started doing so again due to her physical age in this realm. The fact that she held such a mature mind in such a young shell did nothing to take away the fact that Rin Hyuuga, formerly Tohsaka, currently had the appearance of a very grumpy six year old.

Arturia sat under the shade of a tree behind her; knees tucked under her with her hands placed elegantly on her lap, eyes closed. She wore a pair of blue shorts that seemed a size to big along a shite tank top. She had a crude bokken tied to her waist that appeared to be made from an old piece of lumber she had found lying around. Unlike Rin, Arturia had opted to go barefoot and, also unlike Rin, she had let her hair down today, not bothering to do the work that morning. Where as Rin's serious aura did nothing to make her look more mature, Arturia's humble attire did nothing to hide her regal presence. The King Arthur of legend would never have neglected such tasks, no matter how trivial, but the Arturia here and now had learned to relax over her years spent with Shirou and Rin and also alongside the groundbreaking standards of laziness to be expected from Naruto. The trio had taught her that it was okay to be human.

Her attention was then drawn to a chakra signature she sensed approaching from straight ahead of them and she looked up abruptly, smiling.

"Relax, Rin. He's almost here."

Rin turned and looked at her companion, raising an eyebrow quizzically. She was about to speak but was interrupted when Shirou burst through trees, disturbing her line of thought. Her irritation returned to her full force as she whipped her head back around and looked the truant expectantly.

It was a surprise to the both of them at first; seeing Shirou's eyes were no longer their golden hue but a dark gray, almost black color. Add that to his white hair, and he looked more akin to a younger Archer than a younger version of the way he looked before their reincarnation. Though, in a way, to say that was certainly true, as well. He donned a red shirt with medium-length sleeves that went down to his elbow with a v-neck instead of The Uchiha standard high collar and the Uchiha fan on his back. He wore white shorts with his shins and hands were covered in tape and shinobi sandals. He stood up straight after stopping his sprint and looked sheepishly at Rin, holding both hands up in apology.

"Sorry I'm late." Her sharp glare tightened. "Uh... I got lost on the road to life?" He added desperately.

For a moment he thought it worked. Rin's infuriated expression immediately turned to one of shock as her shoulders dropped and her eyes widened. Even Arturia looked up questioningly from where she sat. All his hopes for receiving forgiveness peacefully dropped when she just as suddenly tensed back up and strode dominantly over to him. He managed to flinch before the expected knock on his head never came. He opened his eyes and looked at the girl to see her right in front of him her hair hiding her expression and her shoulders shook before stopping. Finally, she looked up to him and smiled.

"Well," she said. "I guess I have to give you points for surprising me. I haven't heard that one yet."

Arturia stood up from her resting spot and strode over to them.

"Now," Rin began in her down-to-business voice. "By gathering you here, I thought we could try to figure some things out."

"Such as?" Arturia asked.

"What our current abilities are, and also," Rin replied while raising a finger in the air for emphasis. "To see which, if any, techniques we can replicate from our last life."

"Is that even possible? I mean the jutsu in this world is nothing like magecraft—"

He noticed Rin looking at him wryly, her smile growing larger, like a spider who just caught an insect in her web.

"—Unless... of course, it is?"

Rin beamed in triumph.

"Very good, Shirou," she giggled.

Shirou sighed in defeat. "You like torturing me, don't you?"

Arturia smiled in amusement as well, already suspecting the similarities herself, though she wasn't certain of any specifics. Specifics she was she sure, now, that Rin was intimately aware of.

"Of course!" Rin stated matter-of-factly. "In fact, the chakra system and magecraft are almost identical, albeit greatly different in their practice. In this world, each individual is born with three hundred and sixty-one magic circuits called tenkutsu. They work essentially the same, with a few exceptions. Here, everyone uses chakra: a combination of spiritual and physical energy."

"So, basically, it's prana?" Shirou asked. "A mixture of od and mana?"

"Yes and no. The exact differences are hard to explain but in the simplest terms I can think of, it's molded differently. Therefore, the techniques you are capable of are another variety altogether from magecraft. That doesn't mean that there aren't certain things that can be translated. For instance, my gandr shot."

"But Rin," Arturia cut in, a deeply inquisitive look on her face. "I thought you said your attempts to recreate that spell didn't work?"

Rin immediately froze and grunted as her proud attempt at bragging was slowly crumbling.

"And also that the attempt destroyed your—mmph!" Anything further Arturia might have said was silenced by Rin's hand covering her mouth. Turning back to Shirou, Rin said:

"I said that my attempt was unsuccessful, not that it was impossible!" Rin corrected frantically before letting Arturia go and and straightening herself somewhat before continuing. "Chakra is way less stable than prana, so it's more powerful but takes much higher control over it to be able to use properly. My gandr may not be ready yet, but I'll you have you know that I still have an affinity for all five elements."

She said that last part proudly and Shirou couldn't help smile at his former lover.

"An Average genius in any life, huh, Tohsaka?" He asked rhetorically.

"Of course," Rin smiled endearingly at the former name he called her during the Holy Grail War. Afterwards, when they started dating, he only called her that in rare moments. "And what of the two of you? Saber already told me while you were lazing about in the hospital, but you should know as well, I suppose and we've yet to know what you can still do."

"Hey! I wasn't 'lazing about!'" He retorted in a mock insulted manner. "I haven't tried to trace anything yet—up until five days ago, I didn't remember my past so I wouldn't have even conceived trying to make a sword—but I can tell you that I do still have the ability, though, for some reason, my tracing is limited to touch. I can't do it by sight alone anymore. When Itachi-nii—" Rin snickers and Arturia's eye twitches slightly at the nickname. "—would teach Sasuke and I shurikenjutstu, when he would hand me his kunai, I knew how to use it instinctively. I didn't know why that was at the time, but now I'm pretty sure my past abilities were the reason. Also, I have no elemental affinity."

Rin sighed at the last part.

"I guess I should have asked what you still _can't_ do," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "Do you mean to say you can't perform any ninjutsu?"

"No, I should be able to do any non-element based jutsu."

"Should?" Arturia, who has been quietly listening up until now, decided to speak up in concern for her former master. "Shirou, you can't protect yourself properly without ninjutsu in this world."

"Hey, calm down," he said. "I said 'should' because I haven't tested the theory in anything but the shunshin. Besides, I'm still fully capable of reinforcement. In fact, my reinforcement is even stronger than it used to be."

"The shunshin?" Rin asked, her interest piqued. "That's a rather advanced technique for a six year old."

"Shisui thought of it," Shirou said. "He was helping Sasuke and I train while Itachi-nii—" snicker. "—was on a mission. He was curious if my inability was for all jutsu so he taught us. I learned it pretty quick but Sasuke—er, well."

"Little fucker finally got an attitude check, huh," Rin was laughing mischievously but shut up when Shirou gave her a serious glance.

"What about you?" Shirou turned to Arturia who proudly and cutely puffed her chest out in pride before answering.

"I've maintained all my sword skills, if not my sword," she said proudly. "And although I haven't checked to see my affinities, I am aware that I at least have a wind attribute."

Arturia fluidly drew her crudely made bokken and took a few steps before swinging the blade once with impressive speed before reattaching it to her waist. A second later a few sturdy branches in the wake of that swing fell to the forest floor, clean serrations at the stumps from the chakra-filled wind that swept from the dull wooden blade.

Rin clapped her hands, impressed.

"A sensor, too, from what I saw earlier," she judged. "We'll have to experiment later to see what else you can do. Now, Shirou." She turned serious and looked him in the eyes. "Try to project a weapon. Start small if you have to, but don't worry about chakra exhaustion, for a while at least." Veins bulged around her eyes as her byakugan activated. "I can tell you for a fact that you were born with much higher chakra than you were prana. No doubt from being born to a family willing to teach more than just the basics this time around."

Shirou nodded. It was true, while efficient most times, cannibalizing his nerves to create new circuits in their past had proven to be an inconvenience at only the worst possible moments. He found himself constantly wishing Kiritsugu had taught him the proper way to activate his circuits but by the time he had learned of his incorrect method during the Fifth Holy Grail War, he had tried to correct the issue over time with limited success. Being raised in a clan such as the Uchiha this time around, he had been taught proper chakra control from an early age, despite his shortcomings in certain jutsu. His father, in particular, had seemed disappointed upon learning of his complete inability to perform the clan's signature Fireball Jutsu. In fact, Fugaku had only visited him in the hospital once, and even then he only stayed for a brief few moments and exchanged fewer words before leaving. Itachi was less than pleased, and he took a mental note to try and discover the rift he noticed between his father and brother later on, attributing to one of the many things he needed to investigate.

Turning his attention back to the present, Shirou tried to focus on several noble phantasms but was unable to materialize them. Next he tried a mystic code, but again, was unable to materialize it. He decided to try one last option before giving up. Strangely, this time, whatever resistance was present during his prior attempts was absent now as he felt a familiar energy surge through and with a simple aria, he knew this time, his effort would bear fruit.

"Trace. On."

With a brief flash of light, the twin blades, kanshou and byakuya, were in his grasp. He held them up and inspected them, but found nothing wrong with them. Might even be more durable than they were in his past life.

"So you can do it," Arturia smiled.

"To an extent," Shirou frowned. "I tried tracing a few noble phantasms at first but it didn't work."

"That's disconcerting..." Arturia said, a thoughtful frown on her face. "But why are you able to trace Kanshou and Byakuya? They're Noble Phantasms, too, are they not?"

"My guess is it's because of Archer's, and therefore his own familiarity with them," Rin theorized. "Other than those two, have you completely lost all the swords previously held in your reality marble?"

"No, they're there," Shirou closed his eyes. "In my Unlimited Blade Works. I can feel them. All of them. It's more like they're locked away. I can still trace freely any normal weapon, even their history and skills. Just like always. It's just the stronger ones for some reason..."

"Hmm," Rin put her hand to her mouth in concentration before noticing the slowly dimming sky above. "Well, in any case, this seems all we can do for now, so let's call it a day, shall we? I'll come find the two of you tomorrow after thinking on our next move. Let's head back for now."

—

Finding his way was much easier the second time around with Rin and Arturia to guide him. Upon their emergence back to the more civilized area of Konoha, the three of them noticed a more chaotic energy in the village, despite the sun having past below the tree line at this point, bathing the Village in an array of colors. When Shirou looked up, he saw shinobi darting across the rooftops in a frantic manner.

"What do you suppose has happened?" Arturia asked.

"Not sure," Rin's reply was short as she pursed her lip in deep thought. "At any rate, I suggest we head home. If it's something we need to worry about, I'm sure we'll find out."

"Yeah," Shirou agreed, though he couldn't shrug away the sense of foreboding. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Be careful, Shirou, Rin," Arturia bade the two of them farewell and left first.

"See you tomorrow, Shirou," with a smile, Rin was off as well.

Still unable to shake his uneasiness, Shirou smiled grimly and made his way towards his own home. He was sure his mother would be less than pleased with him. She had been the one to check him out at the hospital and the only way he'd gotten her to allow his visit with Rin and Arturia so soon after his discharge was under the agreement that he would be home before dinner, which he was most assuredly late for.

Once he'd made his way into the Uchiha District, his nerves only tightened. If the village outside the district was frantic, then his relatives in the Uchiha District were proving to be downright chaotic. He quickly made his way home, certain that either his mother or father would be able to tell him what was going on. The news they relayed to him was disturbing on many levels.

Shisui Uchiha had committed suicide.

**AN: Sorry for the wait. Please remember to follow, favorite, and REVIEW!**

**AN2: I have updated the phrasing of several parts and added in extra information to, hopefully, further explain several parts that didn't make sense the way I tried explaining them when I first posted this chapter. If you still can't make sense of what I'm trying to say, I apologize but please pm me with anything you don't understand so that I may either further edit this chapter or at least know what I need to elaborate on in further chapters.**

**Also, I was thinking of posting a short info-chapter regarding the abilities each of them will possess. To be honest, I didn't want to do that, as I wanted to dish out the information as I went in increments so as not to spoil anything, but with the questions that people have been posting lately in the reviews, I feel like I have to at least tell a bit from all the inquiries.**

**AN3: it seems people agree, so NO stat sheet.**

**AN4: I am surprised that everyone is asking about his inability to perform elemental jutsu, and since it doesn't really spoil anything and I'm honestly surprised no one could figure it out, I'll explain it. His inability to do so is because of his limitations in the nasuverse. He was so specialized with what he could do, he couldn't do any other kind of magecraft (i.e. "this is the only magic allowed to Shirou Emiya"). I've taken some liberties with what he can and can't do, such as the shunshin, but any jutsu I will allow him to learn will be because it compliments his fighting style. For everyone saying that I've made Rin and Arturia too OP while nerfing Shirou: Rin will be a prodigy, but one prone to small mistakes that have larger repercussions, as always; Arturia was strong but limited due to her prana consumption from Shirou in the show, her handicap here will her not possessing Excalibur; Shirou, will always be facing up against people way stronger than him on paper, but his abilities in what he can do added to his willpower will level the field, somewhat, as always. I don't want my characters to just run through every opponent like it's nothing. That's boring. They will have to fight to win, and they will definitely lose more than one battle. Shirou will have a sharingan, just not yet. I've got plans for that.**


	6. Exile:Retribution

**PLEASE READ: Content is mildly graphic. Be warned.**

The sound of striking steel echoed through the isolated forest surrounding the Uchiha Compound. The sharp resonating of steel clashing against steel seemed eerily calming in the otherwise quiet day. Perhaps it was the noise itself that deterred any animal from exiting their burrows, fearing any potential predator in favor of their normal routine. Regardless, the lack of any outside interference to the senses allowed for nothing less than absolute attention from Fugaku as he watched the heated spar going on between his two youngest sons.

At first glance, the bout looked to be evenly matched, however to Fugaku's veteran eyes, the match was downright infuriating and he was beginning to lose his patience.

Sasuke was on the attack; jumping around and aiming his strikes at Shirou's vital points with relentless ferocity and accuracy. His father would almost be proud of him were any of his attacks landing. As it stood, Sasuke's technique was, admittedly, quite adept. It could even be considered advanced for his age but despite this fact, Fugaku could not help but grow frustrated for his son's lack of ability to see through his brother's deceitful battle style.

It was Shirou himself that had garnered the most aggravation from their father. The two had just broken apart from each other and stood in a momentary stalemate to catch their breath and adjust their tactics. Shirou had a kunai in each hand, held chest-high parallel to each other, leaving every vital spot open to attack. Or so it appeared. Sasuke, as would most fighters, instinctively went for the openings every time and Shirou, at the last moment and without any wasted movement, dodged and prepared for a counterattack immediately. Only for it to miss or be blocked. It had taken Fugaku longer to notice than he would have liked to admit, but when he finally realized what his youngest was doing, his already stretched patience finally gave way.

When it had come time to teach Shirou their clans Fire Ball Jutsu, Fugaku had high hopes for him after the successes of his elder brothers. That hope was dashed as Shirou showed no such affinity for the element at all. Though displeased, he held out hopes for him to prove himself in other areas. Throughout the last couple months, he had noticed that Shirou had a particular knack for close combat. Though his stance seemed suicidal, it allowed Shirou to dictate the match; using his opponents own battle instincts against them. Yet Sasuke won most of their matches. This was Fugaku's biggest clue as to his son's intentions and, in Fugaku's eyes, his biggest affront.

"Stop!"

The two had just taken their first step toward renegotiating contact when their father's strict demand caused them to immediately stop mid-motion and turn towards the fuming clan head.

He silently evaluated the two of them before finally speaking.

"Sasuke."

"Yes, father," the Uchiha's middle child bowed reverently to his father as he replied, hoping beyond hope for some form of praise from the man.

"...Head inside," the patriarch responded finally after another thoughtful pause. "I need to speak with Shirou alone."

If one were paying attention, like Shirou was, they would have easily noticed Sasuke's shoulders momentarily drop before being replaced by the proud facade that he put up in front of everyone. He reminded Shirou slightly of Rin in that way. _Perhaps,_ he thought. _Perhaps that why they don't get along. No doubt Arturia has already noticed this._

Attempting to dissuade or otherwise hamper the oncoming scolding with a preemptive strike, Shirou bowed his head low.

"My efforts are not up to your standards, _Tou-sama_," Shirou spoke slowly and respectfully, but his words were far from genuine and he was sure the subtle venom that had escaped his tone at the end was not unnoticed. Since Shisui's death, Itachi had been stopping by less often, his missions more frequent, and the tension in the household between the current head and heir had escalated to the point of it being near tangible in the air around them in the instances the two were in the same area. Information was hard to come by in his current age and body but he had managed to piece together enough to know that there was some form of conflict between the village and the clan, though what _exactly_ was the cause he didn't know, and recently, it felt as though it's nearing its boiling point. From what Shirou could gather from the few talks he was able to eavesdrop on(even with reinforced hearing, it wasn't easy to spy on experienced shinobi; especially if you took a priority on doing so without be noticed), Itachi seemed to be trying his best to pacify and mediate the situation. Fugaku, on the other hand, seemed to be blinded by pride and honor. The way his father had handled the situation at every corner infuriated Shirou, though even dense as he was, Rin and Arturia had convinced him not to interfere unless it was unavoidable.

"You have let me down every chance I've given you," Fugaku's voice seemed to scream of carefully tempered rage and disappointment. At this point, the man's opinion of Shirou didn't matter to the boy—he had even expected the man hated him—though the bluntness of the statement still surprised him slightly. "Your talent for the Ninjutsu this clan is renowned for is nonexistent, as is your talent for Ninjutsu in general. Your ability to quickly learn the shunshin was quickly demerited by your inability to take the technique any farther than what a novice could accomplish. Your Taijutsu showed promise but your style, while skilled in it, will lose you your life before you're ever able to gain any honor for yourself. In addition, in spite of your obvious skill in your own... _style_ of fighting, you always hold back and never even attempt to win your matches. You lack any intent to kill. That will get you killed if your fighting style doesn't. What's _more_ is you seem perfectly aware of all of this but make no attempt to correct your actions, despite the blatant disrespect your actions reflect on the clan. I have ignored your _associating_ with that Hyuuga girl and the orphan despite my reservations, and my lenience has rewarded with me with nothing but more failure."

"Is that all that we are to you?" Shirou prided himself on being an even-tempered individual, but the mention of the two that meant the most to him had placed his self control dangerously close to the edge. As it were, his words were a barely repressed hiss through his teeth. Compared to Kiritsugu, this man was an insult of a father in Shirou's eyes. At first, he couldn't explain it, but the more he discovered of Fugaku's priorities in the months since his hospitalization, the more he felt the reasons for his distaste were solid. Kiritsugu may not have been the ideal parent, and from what Shirou had found out at the Clock Tower, most people couldn't even consider him an ideal human... but the man that raised 'Shirou Emiya' knew what was important. Fugaku Uchiha didn't. "Assets to the clan?"

"The clan is everything," his 'father' glowered. Of course.

"Not everything," Shirou's response was spoken low, but firm and he held his father's glare for a moment more before deciding himself that the conversation was over. Turning his back to the coniferous terrain of the training area exclusive to the main branch of his clan, he made his trek back to the main house; not giving pause to allow his father a retort.

The last couple weeks, Shirou had been on edge. There were no visible differences, but the atmosphere around the entire village felt tense and offensive. It was the same kind of apprehension he felt during days of the Fifth Grail War. Like everyone was just trying to enjoy going through the motions of their everyday lives before all hell inevitably broke lose. His promise to Rin and Arturia not to interfere only added more to his own feeling of restlessness. He understood why they requested as much of him, and he had no intentions of breaking his promise, but the inability to act added onto every well earned instinct he possessed telling him to act was.. unnerving him.

Making his way into his family home, he immediately paused when he caught a familiar scent. The unique signature of a certain individual hit his brain along with Sasuke's and three other individuals he didn't recognize, but the distinct and underlying smell of ember marking them all as Uchiha.

_Itachi-nii is home, _he realized. _I hope his mission went all right._

Though he wouldn't quite classify it as a complete sensory ability, like what Arturia seemed to possess, his ability to distinguish an individual's unique signature via his sense of smell had somehow carried over into his new life, something he'd noticed since becoming 'aware.' While Arturia's sensor abilities were more that of a true sensor, her scope of detection somewhat akin to an in depth radar, his own ability was more analogous to the Inuzuka clan's; though way less flexible. While the Inuzuka could use their abilities to track over longer distances and from older trails, his own abilities were more limited in range in relations to himself, though he could gauge the overall chakra capacity of an individual through his smell slightly better than the average clan members, though not nearly as adept as some of the Inuzuka's more elites, such as the current clan head, Tsume.

"—by the way, we have _our own_ connections inside of the Anbu black ops. You try and sweep this under the rug, and we're gonna know about it."

Shirou was abruptly hit with an almost suffocating amount of killer intent. Guessing the identity of the aggressor, Shirou quickly ran to the front entrance of his home.

—

Sasuke was terrified. The sheer fury displayed on his big brothers face formed a picture he would have never associated with Itachi—nor did he ever want to again. Itachi's hands clenched into fists over Shisui's note and the strange pressure that made him feel as though he was suffocating somehow worsened then lessened slightly, and it was a moment until he gave his response, something more like a low, threatening growl than actual human speech:

"_...why don't you just come out and say it!?_"

The members of the Uchiha Police force whipped their heads back around, their sharingan active in response to Itachi's.

"You believe I had a hand in this don't you?" Itachi continued, his eyes cold, almost unrecognizable to Sasuke.

The first one to respond was the short brunette, "Yeah, that's right. _Punk_."

"Listen, Itachi. If we find out you've betrayed the clan, you'll pay for your crimes."

The tallest of the trio had barely finished his sentence before Sasuke saw Itachi begin to move. Itachi, however, found no chance to finish whatever his planned actions before Shirou, whom no one there had even noticed his presence, beat him to it as the small, snow-haired boy burst past Itachi at speeds he hadn't shown capable of before. Quickly jumping up off the ground and spinning mid-air counter-clockwise, Shirou twisted his hip and planted a firm right foot to the tall ones face which, to the astonishment of everyone present, swiftly knocked the man unconscious to the ground before landing in a low crouch with one hand beneath himself.

Sasuke watched in awe as his younger brother pulled out a _tanto_, from where, he wasn't sure, and prepared a stance to continue his assault on the other two. Sasuke felt ashamed. He knew that he had a responsibility to Shirou right then but was frozen as his body couldn't overcome his confusion and fear he felt in this situation.

Itachi for his part felt not fear, but shared his brothers confusion at the current situation. He'd had suspicions of Shirou's capabilities for a while now but seeing them brought out in a way that was so unlike him gave the eldest sibling pause.

Fortunately, their indecision was interrupted as before the skirmish could escalate any further, Fugaku's appearance seemed to halt everyone in their tracks for differing reasons, aside from Shirou himself, whose glare only hardened on their father before he slowly stood from his crouched position and lowered his arms, though the strange sword was still in hand.

Shirou's scowl was matched by Fugaku's, the two stared each other down for a long moment before Shirou, without saying anything, turned and left. The direction indicating him leaving the Uchiha Compound entirely. Sasuke, finally regaining control over his body, made to chase after but Itachi held him back. Sasuke turned his head back to protest but was silenced once again when Fugaku spoke. He spoke loudly so that Itachi, Sasuke, the present members of Police Force, and all else present could hear. A single declaration that in the future, the three brothers would all note as the point in time in which their paths began their split from each other.

"From here forward note that on this day, I, Fugaku Uchiha, renounce any and all rights Shirou Uchiha has as a member of the main family and will receive only the barest of rights as a member of the Uchiha Clan. This is an order as both Head of the Clan and of the Police Force."

Shock and fury at this proclamation struck both Itachi and Sasuke.

—

Shirou landed gently on the windowsill outside Rin's bedroom window, silently cursing himself for his actions. Sneaking into the Hyuuga's residence unnoticed is a difficult task when one is focused, and Shirou had nearly alerted his surroundings of his presence once during his entrance onto the grounds. It was almost midnight at this point. He had been roaming the village trying to blow off steam for several hours, doing menial chores, and he hoped Rin was awake though he, reluctantly, admitted the possibility of her being asleep being just as high. Knocking gently on the window, he was greeted by a pajama clad Arturia poking her head out inquisitively. Seeing Shirou, she gave him a gentle smile before Rin pushed her way through and gave him her own form of greeting.

"Oh, Shirou," Rin began, that devilish teasing grin ever-apparent on her face. "Sneaking into a noble's daughter's chambers in the middle of the night. Whatever are your intentions~?"

"Hey, Tohsaka, Saber," he smiled grimly and the underlying stress was evident to his partners.

Their faces changing to those of complete seriousness, Rin and Arturia ushered him inside quickly before Rin passed out tea. Situating themselves on the floor of Rin's bedroom, Arturia faced her former master.

"Shirou, tell us—"

"What did you get yourself into this time, dummy?"

—

"So basically, you lost your temper with your father, the clan head, no less, then attacked members of your own clan," Rin held her hand to her mouth in thought.

"This is unlike you, Shirou," Arturia, sitting in _seiza_ on the floor, was as calm as the former Tohsaka, though her tone more prompt than scolding.

"If I didn't, then Itachi-nii would have," Shirou's reply was quick but firm.

"Then you should have let him," Arturia's response was firmer than before. "It was with him there was conflict, and so it was his honor to defend."

"You don't understand! They were accusing him of murdering Shisui! I couldn't stop him from attacking himself, but I could attack first. The alternative was if he was the one doing the assault, he would have looked _more_ guilty—"

"I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that, Shirou," her tone snapped at the attention of both of her guests. Rin's serious tone rarely came out, so when it did, people knew to listen. "You weren't raised in nobility originally, like Saber, or even taught to be a proper mage, like myself, so you don't understand the consequences of what you just did; or what the possible ramifications are."

Arturia gave a grim nod in return and Shirou seemed to have lost all air in him.

"Is it really that bad?"

Arturia nodded again slowly. "The fact that he was so blatant in his disappointment of you would normally indicate your were already in a somewhat low standing in the eyes of the clan, being the son of the current head probably worked against you in this case."

"And then, you attack a member of your own clan, a member of the Uchiha Police, and attempted to attack two others; in spite of the fact that we still know nothing of the reasons for the current state of Konoha," Rin seemed to be talking more to herself as opposed to actually conversing with the two of them. The last sentence trailing off as her expression deepened in thought. Seemingly coming to a conclusion, she looks back over to the two. "This is bad, Shirou. I think... I think you should apologize."

Shirou stared hard into Rin's eyes before deciding that she had probably thought this through in more ways than he could conceive. He decided to trust the genius that he knew lay behind the girls proud image. He got up to leave but Rin stopped him grabbing hold of his hand.

"Don't. If you try it now, not only will he not forgive you, you'll also lose more honor in the eyes of the clan."

"But—"

"No, Shirou" Arturia was the one to cut in this time. "I know that you hold no weight on things like pride and honor, but the world does and as we are right now, we need to wait and build our strength before taking large actions."

"I..." this was one of the decisions he hated the most. This was he a decision that, in his own twisted mind, was one of many small-yet-large decisions that he would make every now and then. Decisions that he knew would take him either one step farther down the same path as Archer or one step away. Archer would have taken action by now, regardless of the risks. It's what Shirou wanted to do. Which is why... "I understand, Rin. Arturia."

Rin perked up immediately and gracefully got to her feet.

"Good boy," she patted Shirou on the head, who grunted. "You can grovel tomorrow evening after taking Saber and I on a date. In the meantime, you will be staying here tonight."

Arturia blushed then choked slightly on her tea. "But Rin, that's indecent!"

"Oh?" Rin smirked, the look of mischief incarnate, and Shirou knew Arturia had just fallen for some well-laid trap. "And where is your mind at Saber? After all, we're only six. What could you _possibly_ have thought of for the three of us to do other than an innocent sleepover?"

With every word Rin uttered, Arturia's face grew a darker shade of red until her responses were left an indecipherable stutter of embarrassment. Shirou smiled to himself at the pairs antics.

_I think... if things just stayed the way they are... I'd be fine with that._

—

"See you later, Shirou!"

"Good night, Shirou."

Shirou gave them a tired wave good bye. Night had long since fallen and Rin's idea of a 'date' had been loading Shirou with bags; using him as a pack mule for the entirety of the day and more as she squandered yet another family's fortune on nonsensical items and clothes for her and Arturia.

He turned and began his trek back towards his own home, making sure to slow his pace so as to hopefully delay the inevitable lecture he was about to receive from his father, the distance between the Hyuuga and Uchiha compounds was not great. Or wouldn't receive. Shirou admitted there was a chance he wouldn't even listen to him and realized, he didn't much care. His mother, on the other hand... he didn't want to worry her. Shirou never really had mother before. It was nice. Like Fuji-née but responsible.

Shirou's first step into the Uchiha grounds sent an icy chill down his spine and to his very core. Sweat accumulated heavily on his palms and his throat became bone dry. His heart began pounding, slowly at first, then gradually faster and harder until his chest felt as if it were about to burst.

All around him, staining everything it touched and coating the air itself in its own rustic scent, was the suffocating smell of spilt blood. The lights were out in the streets, in the houses, everywhere was pitch black, yet coated in pools of crimson reflecting the only visible light source in sight: the moon. Shirou darted to the closest house, hoping he would find someone, anyone. An elderly couple lay slain on the floor.

_Fires tore around him. Adults trapped under fallen debris were grasping at the boy, pleading for help, but—_

He made his way to the next house. The door was intact! Maybe—his hopes dashed. A woman and child dead in the home. The child on the floor; the mother pinned to a wall with a kunai.

_A mother was screaming for someone to save her baby, not realizing the infant she was waving around begging aid for was already dead. Burnt to a black char along with the woman's legs and entire left side. The delusional screams of her impossible hope was only silenced once the raging inferno collapsed the building on her. The boy ignored them and—_

Bodies littered the streets further in the grounds. The entire area devoid of noise. Not a whisper of a noise from Shirou as he quickly went from home to home, searching for any trace of life while making his way towards his own residence.

_The boy cast his memories into the fire—_

No.

_The boy cast his emotions into the fire—_

Not again.

He burst the rough the doors of his house. His mother and father lay in of pool of their own substance. Shirou heard a noise in the hall and traced Kanshou and Byakuya, silently cursing himself for not having done so already. Turning slowly round the corner into the hall, he noticed a small for, around his size, on the ground.

_Finally, the boy cast away his hope into the fire—_

Sasuke.

And he wasn't covered in blood.

Seeing a chance, Shirou made to check on his brother was confused when he felt a sharp pain in his chest and found himself rooted to his spot.

Dazed, he looked down and noticed something sticking out of his chest. Blood filled his lungs from where sword had pierced one of them. The flow only seemed to greaten when he felt a foot on his back used as leverage to quickly, and painfully, pull the sword out and Shirou slumped down on the floor, his consciousness hanging by a thread. Panting heavily, he slowly looked up through crimson eyes, determined to at least see the face of his family's killer before his breath hitched.

Looking down on him with a sword in hand was the Uchiha Clan heir and his older brother, Itachi.

Shirou felt lost, hurt, confused, betrayed.. but his biggest question was 'why?' A quick glance at the sword that impaled him told him one thing though before his vision faded.

"...your blade is filled with regret... nii-san..."

_And the boy wondered... could he ever smile like that?_

**AN: Sorry for the delay. I am currently with out a computer.**

**Fixed a typo where Fugaku called Shirou 'Emiya.' There really wasn't any excuse for this other than I just accidentally typed out the wrong name due to habit. Now to explain some things and tell you why I'm not explaining others.**

**Shirou wasn't banished from the clan, just the main family. It's a similar treatment to what Obito is portrayed as having gone through, depending on your source.**

**When Shirou reads the history of a blade, in my reasoning anyway, I always doubted that the sword gives him a word for word of previous events, it's a sword. So when he 'reads' Itachi's sword, he doesn't get filled on on the entire conspiracy but enough to know that Itachi didn't want to do it.**

**For Shirou's 'suicidal style,' he copies Archer's style. I know that people are telling me that he never used that style often but, to be honest, I prefer it and that style is easier to describe when you're trying to write a story and I'm taking a few liberties so I can do certain things.**

**I did a shit job of explaining it in the earlier chapter, but from one franchise to another, conceptually at least, the tenkutsu in Naruto and the magic circuits in Type-Moon look and work pretty similar. At least, in a way that I thought it could translate over. That's why I'm making the connections between the two. No, they're not exact, but they are similar enough to draw comparisons.**

**For the few saying that there was no way that Shirou would have let the massacre happen: they're all six years old, physically. On top of that, the three of them weren't aware of what was going on other than that there was something going on, which is why Rin and Arturia were trying to calm Shirou down. Without knowing the problem, and already on thin ice with his family, they told him to wait until they could get more information. It just so happened to be too late.**

**Another reason the massacre had happen, was a test on Shirou's resolve. He had bad survivors guilt from the Fuyuki Fire so this will definitely effect his mindset, not being able to save the clan members.**

**Also, without saying too much, the seeds have been placed in each chapter for the biggest fallout caused by the massacre. I won't say what it is yet, but I've done everything for a reason and I can only hope you all continue to stick with me and keep reading.**


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